MacKinnon was called for a goalie interference MAJOR and even made Ingram bleed 😳
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The Day After 65.0: Oilers beat NHL-leading Avs in victory team can ‘really rally behind’
Photo credit: © Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Oilers emerged victorious from a chaotic game in Colorado on Tuesday, handing the NHL-leading Avalanche a 4-3 loss. The win was Edmonton’s second in a row to open this challenging road trip and their first win this season against one of the top three teams in the Western Conference.
Ross Colton opened the scoring for the home side just 32 seconds into the first period, but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins capitalized on a hooking penalty by former teammate Brett Kulak to tie the game at 1-1. Martin Nečas put Colorado back on top with another power-play goal before Jack Roslovic evened things again with 25 seconds left in the frame.
A few minutes into the second, Nugent-Hopkins gave the Oilers their first lead on the night with his second goal of the game and 17th of the season. Late in the period, Nathan MacKinnon collided with Connor Ingram, sending Edmonton’s starting goaltender to the concussion room. MacKinnon, meanwhile, received a misconduct and was ejected from the game.
The Avs tied the score again on a goal from Valeri Nichushkin seven minutes into the third period, but it was the only puck that got past Jarry. A couple of minutes later, Connor McDavid scored what stood as the game-winner after a Nicolas Roy high-sticking penalty.
With the win, Edmonton has now banked four points against quality opponents through the first half of this road trip. The Oilers are 32-25-8 on the season, tied with the Golden Knights for second place in the Pacific Division.
Edmonton’s victory snapped Colorado’s five-game winning streak and handed the Avs just their second loss since the Olympic break. It was also a statement win considering how the Oilers have fared against elite competition this season. Edmonton’s worst losses have come against the league’s top teams, including a 9-1 pounding by the Avalanche at Rogers Place back in November.
What they said…
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the Oilers picking up important wins in back-to-back games…
“These last two games, we’ve understood where we’re at and how important these points are, no matter who you play. You play against the best team in the league, and you’re going to have to bring it. I thought we did a great job.“These are games that you can look back on next month and really rally behind and understand that when we play like that, we can beat anybody.”
Goaltender Tristan Jarry on coming into the game after Connor Ingram was injured…
“It’s always tough to see someone go down and it’s never easy to watch that, but I think just having to be prepared and mentally strong right off the bat, that’s all you really can do in a moment like that.“We were in a good spot when I came in, so you just want to try and keep that. You want to keep the guys the same way as if Connor was still playing. So, I think just being able to stay even-keeled in that moment and just kind of work away with what we had.”
Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch on Jarry’s strong performance in relief of Ingram…
“He should feel very good about this. He gets in there with 30 seconds left in the second period, and he’s tested two times. Then in the third period, he made some big saves, a couple on Colorado’s power play.“Yes, he should feel very good about this. And we’re going to definitely need him right away, once, if not twice, going into this back-to-back [in Dallas and St. Louis].”
Colorado head coach Jared Bednar on the Avs having their winning streak snapped…
“That wasn’t a great night considering what we needed from our team against the Oilers.“There were some things that I really liked and some pushback that I liked from the team in the third period, but in terms of a full 60 minutes, it wasn’t our best. I can’t single anybody out as going through it right now. I think our guys are working hard.”
Bednar on Nathan MacKinnon being kicked out of the game for running into Ingram…
“There’s no chance he hits the goalie if [Darnell] Nurse doesn’t run into him. I don’t care if he’s injured, not injured, if it’s a severe crash, not a severe crash. It’s not a penalty. If you put guys into your own goalie, it’s not a penalty.“The goalie’s hurt, so it’s five minutes. Again, I really don’t give a crap if the goalie’s hurt. That’s on their D-man, not our guy.”
Knoblauch with an update on how Ingram was feeling after being removed from the game…
“It was concussion protocol. He’s feeling well. Obviously, that can change, but he wasn’t allowed to come back just because of the concussion spotter.”
Up next…
The Oilers will finish this four-game road trip with a back-to-back against the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues on Thursday and Friday. Edmonton then returns home to host the Nashville Predators on Sunday.
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